November 7, 2005

Nederland man dies after fall

In hundreds of ski runs and dozens of bike rides, John Shramek never saw his close friend, Greg Stearns, fall.

But as Stearns and a camp full of mountain bicyclists prepared for bed in the solitary darkness of Utah`s Canyonlands on Tuesday, the 37-year-old Nederland man wandered too close to the cliff`s edge and fell about 40 feet to his death.

"He had just got up to go to the bathroom and was walking in the wrong direction," said Shramek, 34. "Some people saw it out of the corner of their eye. He just walked to the edge."

Shramek said Stearns realized his mistake too late and crouched down to try and catch himself. But he was unable to keep from falling.

"It was hard to believe," Shramek said. "There was no sound. He didn`t yell. He was just gone."

Campers were unsure what had happened. "They were like, 'Did someone just go off the edge?'" Shramek said.

The 13-person camp had just finished their second day of a four-day biking trip that would span 100 miles along White Rim Road in Utah`s Canyonlands National Park. It was the organized trip`s sixth consecutive year.

"Three people had been on all the trips, and he was one of them," Shramek said, adding that Stearns and his orange Santa Cruz bike had led the pack Tuesday. "Greg was feeling good."

Despite the darkness and the height, it didn`t take campers long to reach the spot where Stearns had landed. Shramek said they were able to call for help using OnStar technology in one of the support trucks, and park rangers hiked through the night to reach Stearns. Shramek and another friend waited for hours by their fallen friend until help arrived.

"We just hung out next to him," Shramek said. "I don`t know how to describe it."

For most of the travelers, the biking trip ended that night. But one cyclist finished the trip on Stearns` bike, saying, "I think this bike wants to finish the ride."

Stearns` mother, Nancy, said her son died "doing what he loved."

He was an accomplished potter, teaching assistant, landscaper, carpenter, stone mason and volunteer fireman. But above all, she said, he was an avid outdoorsman who spent time surfing in Mexico, hunting, rock climbing, fly fishing, skiing, playing hockey and mountain biking.

"These activities defined him as much as his quiet artistry with clay and woodworking," she said. "Although Greg lived and worked in Utah, Hawaii and Maine, the draw of Boulder and its mountains proved overwhelming, time and again."

Stearns` sister Pam Aronson, 33, said her brother spent the week before his bike trip helping her recover from surgery.

"He was like, 'I hate to leave, but I have to go pack.` He was so psyched," she said. "This was so far from what was supposed to happen."

"Poky" was how Rick Beach, 35, would refer to his friend of 14 years, because of his relaxed nature and carefree lifestyle.

"There is no great story behind the nickname. But he was not the fastest-moving character," Beach said. "And I never met anyone who wore less shoes."

But what everyone recalled about Stearns was his quick wit and wisdom. He was in touch with nature, loved adventure and didn`t place much stock in material things, his friends said.

"He had a great way of communicating," Beach said.  And if he was ever missing at a party, everyone would notice, Beach said.

"Where was Poky?" he said. "I will be asking that from now on."